Chairman's Annual Report

Twenty-third Annual General Meeting, Wednesday 1 June 2016
The situation in Yemen
At last year's AGM, outgoing Chairman Dr Noel Brehony gave a detailed account of the internal developments in Yemen, leading up to the prospect of a round of peace talks that might at that time be going to start in Geneva. I think that I can be more brief because sadly there have been too... read more

Twenty-second Annual General Meeting, Wednesday 3 June 2015
The Situation in Yemen
In my 2014 Annual Report I wrote as part of a cautiously optimistic survey of Yemen’s prospects: “The emergence of al-Huthi from Sa’ada is trans- forming the politics of the region north of Sana‘a in a way which may have profound consequences for Yemen.” That has proved something of an... read more

Twenty-first Annual General Meeting, Wednesday 18 June 2014
The objectives of the Society are “to advance public education and knowl- edge concerning the Republic of Yemen, its history, geography, economy and culture.” The BYS tries to steer a course that reflects the intense interest in the current political, security and economic concerns and the constant desire to... read more

Twentieth Annual General Meeting, Wednesday 19 June 2013
For Yemen the last year has been dominated by the preparations for the National Dialogue Conference (NDC) that finally started on 18 March. The 565 delegates have until the end of September to agree a new political structure for Yemen that will lead to a new constitution and elections for a president and parliament... read more

Twentieth Annual General Meeting, Wednesday 13 June 2012.
It has been a dramatic year for Yemen which culminated in what is called the GCC deal that paved the way for the resignation of President Saleh and the election of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as his successor and the appointment of a new coalition government. There is now an agreed process for transition on three main... read more

Nineteenth Annual General Meeting, Thursday 23 June 2011.
It has been an eventful year for Yemen, especially since January when the Arab Spring reached Yemen and generated the same sort of youth demonstrations that have taken place in Tunis, Cairo and many other Arab capitals since then – and in the case of Yemen continue. There has been a prolonged political crisis as... read more

Eighteenth Annual General Meeting, Thursday 17 June 2010.
I took over as Chairman on 1 January, so this report covers the six months of 2009 when Julian Lush was acting as chairman. I would like to thank him on your behalf for all that he did, and record once again our appreciation for Victor Henderson's period as chairman.
It has been an eventful year for Yemen and... read more

Seventeenth Annual General Meeting, Wednesday 17 June 2009.
If it is any surprise that you see your Vice-Chairman in the Chairman’s seat, it is because Victor Henderson resigned as Chairman earlier this year for the very understandable reason that, with his other commitments, he felt unable to devote the necessary time and energy to the Society’s affairs. We much regret his... read more

Sixteenth Annual General Meeting, 19 June 2008.
In many ways this has been an active year for me and the Society, but this and the vexed question of the FCO’s Travel Advice I shall turn to later. I shall begin by looking at the positive aspects of coverage of Yemen in the British media, and the way in which Yemen is returning to the international travel and tourism map.... read more

Fifteenth Annual General Meeting, 20 June 2007.
It is customary for the Chairman to begin his report by saying that the Society has had an active year. This indeed has been the case but I do believe that it could have been even more active, and this is a theme which I shall return to later.
Before I review the past year, let me say that the essential backdrop to the... read more

Fourteenth Annual General Meeting, 22 June 2006.
The Society has had another active year at a time when there are some signs that our government is putting more effort into developing bilateral links. This has been noticeable in the business field, where a small government-backed scoping mission, organised by the British Consultants and Construction Bureau, visited Yemen in... read more

Thirteenth Annual General Meeting, 8 June 2005.
I am pleased to report that travel to Yemen has been made easier by both the British and Yemeni governments. Foreign Office travel advice is now less restrictive, and with Yemen declaring 2005 as ‘The Year of Tourism’, it is now easier to obtain visas; and, apart from travel to certain areas, it is no longer necessary for... read more